Gone Wrong
by Jackie Wepps
Summary: "What if Yuu was captured by Kureto and the Demon Armh?" No doubt Mika would try to save him but can he do it alone? No. He will need the help from Shinoa and the others. If they can manage to work together and accomplish their mission, time will tell (request by Shiranai Atsune)


Yuu was lying on the ground, unconscious after Asuramaru had taken control. Guren simply stood and watched him with a smile on his face, red eyes glowing. Suddenly, Narumi walked up and stood at the other side of Yuu. Narumi and Guren watched each other carefully.

"Oh you're alive. I'm glad you're okay… Narumi," Guren said sounding sarcastic and cold. "I don't have time, hurry and give him-" Guren started giving the order but Narumi cut him off.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant Colonel, I cannot follow your orders right now," Narumi said. He knew he had to defy his superior, the head of the Ichinose family, but it didn't make it any less difficult. But now he had made up his mind and stabbed the trident down into the ground, creating a wall with him and Yuu on one side and Guren on the other. As the wall appeared, Shinoa and Mitsuba came running with Yoichi supporting Kimizuki behind them.

"Narumi-san!" Shinoa exclaimed as she saw Narumi standing with Yuu.

Narumi pulled the trident out of the ground. "Hurry!" he yelled. Then he picked Yuu up from the ground and carried him half on his back as they started running away. They could hear the sound of the barrier Narumi had created being broken. No one dared to look back to see who had broken it, but they could hear Kureto yell something shortly after, and so, they all had a pretty good idea of who had caused it to break.

"Shinoa-san! Kimizuki-kun's sister is still…" Yoichi said, primarily concerned if Kimizuki would get angry with them if they left Mirai behind.

"It's fine for now," Kimizuki said, he knew she was unharmed so far and he knew that if they went back now, they would all be in trouble.

"Kimizuki-kun…" Yoichi said, surprised by the other's statement.

It was then Shinoa looked over her shoulder and saw that someone was coming from behind. She turned around to defend her comrades against the incoming attack. The others stopped and turned around to face the enemy as well.

Shinoa summoned Shikama Douji and took a defensive position in front of the soldiers of the Imperial Demon Army.

"Give us Hyakuya Yuuichiro! This is an order!" one of the soldiers said, pointing his sword at Shinoa.

"As of now, the Hiiragi Shinoa Squad will withdraw from the Demon Army," Shinoa declared.

Pissed off, the soldiers ran towards Shinoa and she tried to defend. Unfortunately, one of them managed to get past her and attack Narumi, who was still holding onto Yuu. Mitsuba tried stepping in, but at this moment, reinforcements came.

"Shinoa!" Mitsuba called, defending an attack from behind.

"I know, Mi-chan!" Shinoa yelled back, also defending against an attack.

Narumi tried defending as well, only using one hand. The technique worked fine while there was only one soldier, but then another came close and managed to grab a hold of Yuu, pulling him away from Narumi.

"Yuu-san!" Shinoa yelled as she noticed this.

"Damn it!" Narumi yelled in frustration.

"Retreat!" one yelled. "A vampire is coming!" He pointed to the side.

Everyone in Shinoa's squad turned their heads in the direction the soldier pointed out and saw a blonde vampire approaching them. All of them recognized him quickly, but it was Shinoa who spoke the name.

"Mika-san…" She was happy that he was coming, but she wished he would've come sooner.

The soldiers started backing away. Three of them turned around and ran back. One of them was carrying Yuu. The remaining ones, there were around 12 left or so, took up a defensive battle formation to keep Shinoa and the rest of her squad at bay.

"Mika-san! Get Yuu-san!" Shinoa called out to Mika who was already in the middle of changing course, from running towards where Shinoa's squad were standing to where the soldiers were carrying Yuu back to where Kureto was waiting.

"I get Yuu-chan, you get to safety!" Mika responded over his shoulder.

Shinoa stood and stared for a brief moment. She hadn't thought Mika would say something like that to them, judging from how he had viewed them earlier on that same day.

"Let's do as he says," Shinoa finally said once she had let Mika's words sink in. "Let's trust that Mika-san can get Yuu-san back."

Narumi and Mitsuba looked reluctant, Kimizuki didn't respond. Only Yoichi nodded his head. Right now, getting themselves to safety was the only thing they could do.

They turned around. Shinoa kept her pace a bit slower and ran with her back to her squad, still facing the enemy. All the others ran facing forward. Shinoa could see as Mika was running, trying to reach the soldiers in time.

Mika ran with all his might, but his injuries had just healed so he wasn't able to run as fast as he wanted to. He pushed himself, but he could still see that he would only reach the small group of soldiers as they made it back to that leader, the one with the red eyes. Mika didn't like that guy. If Yuu ended up in his care, only bad things would come out of it. Mika was sure of that.

As predicted, he did reach the small group as they reached Kureto and his army. Two soldiers ran to meet him and started fighting him. Mika defended himself as best as he could, trying not to get injured at all cost. If he got injured, there was no telling what would happen, but one thing was certain. He wouldn't be able to save Yuu. But would he be able to do that anyway? Could he even do it alone?

"Mika-san!" Shinoa yelled, and Mika looked over his shoulder to see that she was the only one standing out in the open. Far ahead of her, the soldiers from the Demon Army, were coming towards Mika. If he didn't get going soon, escape would be impossible.

Mika looked back to where Yuu was and noticed that they were about to prepare him for transportation. It broke him inside to see that his family was about to be taken away for human experimentation. The problem was that he couldn't get Yuu now. He could see the other, but he was way beyond his reach.

"Mika-san!" Shinoa called. "Retreat, for Yuu-san's sake!"

Mika looked between Shinoa and Yuu. He wanted to go save Yuu, but he did know it was impossible for him to do by himself. What would happen if he retreated? Would he get a better chance? Probably not, and if he did, it would still be impossible for him to rescue Yuu by himself. Could he do it if he wasn't alone? At least there was a chance he could.

Mika didn't answer Shinoa, but he did hurry, he pushed past two soldiers, one fell backwards, and as he fell, Mika jumped up, landing with one foot on his shoulder and jumped over most of the soldiers. He ran to where Shinoa was waiting while constantly looking over his shoulder as he saw Kureto turn his back to them and preparing to leave. Yuu was ready for transportation and so was that other seraph.

As Mika ran away from the soldiers, Shinoa turned around and started running towards where the rest were hiding. Mika caught up to her quickly and slowed a little down to run beside her.

"We'll get him back," Shinoa said.

Mika didn't give other response than a small nod with his head as they ran to where Narumi, Mitsuba, Yoichi and Kimizuki were waiting.

"You didn't get him!" Narumi yelled in an accusing tone.

"There were many, more than before," Shinoa replied in Mika's defense. "And Kureto was there too."

Mika frowned at Shinoa and turned away from them, but he didn't leave. He just looked back at where Kureto and his people were almost ready to leave. He watched them prepare the last things while keeping a constant focus on where he knew Yuu was.

"Mika-kun," Yoichi said, trying to claim Mika's attention.

Mika only turned half way, only one eye looking at Yoichi with coldness.

"We're about to leave," Yoichi said. "Are you coming with us?"

Again, Mika only nodded his head briefly before he turned around and looked at Shinoa, who was already facing the direction where she wanted to go. Yoichi went to support Kimizuki and then they were all ready to leave.

As they did so, they all took one last look back at the Demon Army that was about to leave Nagoya.

* * *

A little outside Nagoya there was no sign of the battle that had taken place during the day. It was here Shinoa had led everyone. They were now sitting while thinking about what to do. They had all agreed on the same goal without exchanging a single word. Their goal was to get Yuu back from the Demon Army.

"We need to move on from here somehow," Shinoa said, breaking the silence.

"We agree on that much," Narumi said.

"But how would we do that?" Yoichi asked. "And where would we go?"

"We got to Nagoya by car, we can just do the same this time," Kimizuki said.

"But you're not fit to drive, Kimizuki," Mitsuba said. There was some truth to that. Because Kimizuki had gotten himself injured, he had been in need of the support Yoichi gave him all the way out there.

"We also need a plan of action," Shinoa said.

"It would have been better if we had left one behind who could gather information," Narumi said.

"None of us were thinking about that at the time," Shinoa said. "We were all busy doing something else if you recall, Narumi-san."

Narumi turned away, glaring into the darkness surrounding them. He was irritated at himself, both for not having thought of this and for coming with the remark now when he knew that what Shinoa had just told him was true.

"Can't one of you pretend to surrender?"

Everyone turned their heads to look at Mika. He hadn't been looking at them at all since they got here and he hadn't been speaking to them either. He didn't give off much of an approachable vibe.

"Well, I was the one who declared that we were working against them, so I'm out of the picture," Shinoa said.

"I said the same to Lieutenant Colonel, so I can't either," Narumi said.

"Yoichi and I will both be suspected if we go back, plus, we don't have high enough rankings," Kimizuki said.

"That just leaves Mi-chan," Shinoa said.

"You want me to go back?" Mitsuba asked in disbelief and reluctance.

"Your sister is working by Kureto's side, it shouldn't be too difficult," Shinoa said.

"You know very well that my sister hardly ever talks to me," Mitsuba said.

"Close or not, you are the most likely to go back there," Kimizuki agreed with Shinoa.

"But shouldn't we still stay close by?" Yoichi asked.

"We should, otherwise it'll be no good," Shinoa replied.

"So we all need to get back to Tokyo," Kimizuki said.

"Anyone other than Kimizuki-san who knows how to drive a car?" Shinoa asked.

"Do you need to ask? I'm 19 years old!" Narumi exclaimed.

"Good point," Shinoa nodded her head. "Mika-san, do you know how to drive a car?"

Mika was silent for a little while. No one else dared to speak.

"Yes," Mika replied, finally.

"Am I not good enough?" Narumi asked.

"It's fine, but it's been a long day already," Shinoa said. "If I've heard correctly, vampires don't really need to sleep, so if Mika can drive, I would rather you rest, Narumi-san,"

"But wasn't Mika-kun injured too?" Yoichi asked.

Shinoa looked to Mika, awaiting the answer from him. She thought she had seen injuries earlier, but she wouldn't know if they were still there.

"I've healed up," Mika said.

"Can you drive all the way?" Shinoa asked.

"We will attract less attention if I'm not seen in Tokyo," Mika said.

"So, when do you suggest we switch?" Shinoa asked.

"Not too long after we cross over to the Kanto region," Mika replied.

"I have a question, vampire," Narumi said, causing everyone to look at him now, instead of Mika. "Earlier you wanted to just get Yuu and take him somewhere. Is that still your goal with this? How do we know you don't plan on running away with him as soon as we get him out of there safe?"

"Narumi-san, his help is needed so now might not be the time to ask questions," Shinoa said.

"I don't know about you, but Yuu-chan told me that he sees the rest of you as family. I've decided to trust you for now, but if you don't prove yourselves worthy of this trust, I am going to take Yuu-chan and leave you." As Mika finished speaking, he turned around to face the others fully.

"Then we better do our best," Shinoa said.

"We should find a vehicle," Kimizuki said.

"You're right," Yoichi replied. "But where would one be?"

"I'll take a look," Mika replied. He could see better in the dark than they could, he knew as much. It didn't take him long to find a car on a small parking lot a little further away. It was holding there, all alone, completely abandoned. It was considerably old. Mika would shoot it to be at least the same age as him if not older, but it was big enough for the six of them to be there without much trouble. He turned around and headed back to where the others were.

"Did you find anything, Mika-san?" Shinoa asked as she saw him coming close.

"I did," Mika said. "It's not far."

"Are we going now then?" Yoichi asked.

"The more time we can make, the better," Shinoa answered. "It took us two and half an hour getting here, so we should reach Tokyo by dawn."

"Let's go," Mika said, turning around and waiting for the others to get ready before he headed out in the dark.

It took time for them to reach the car, at least more time than Mika would have liked. The primary reason for this was the fact that no one else could see well enough in the dark. They all had trouble following him. For the first time since the catastrophe, Mika actually wished the stars were here as they could give at least some light to the nightly scenery and make it easier for the others to navigate their way through the darkness.

As they reached the car, Shinoa and Mika sat in front while the others went in the back to just get some rest and wait until they reached the Kanto region.

* * *

"It's crawling with humans," Mika said, looking through the window of an abandoned house as close to the center of Tokyo as the group dared to go.

"We're still pretty far from where we need to be though," Shinoa said.

"But we can't go any closer," Kimizuki commented.

"Then what do we do?" Yoichi asked.

"We're going to operate from here," Shinoa said. "That's all we can do right now."

"So, what's the plan?" Narumi asked.

"Mi-chan's going back and gathering information and when she has collected enough, she'll let us know," Shinoa replied like it was obvious.

"I have a question," Mitsuba said. "How do I get the information I collect to you?" she asked.

"Good question…" Shinoa thought. "Would it be safe to send someone with you?" she wondered while looking around at everyone in the room to find someone who could go with Mitsuba back to the Demon Army.

"They'll need to stay out of the spotlight and out of trouble and they can't stand out," Mika said, also looking around to see who would fit such a description.

"Nice job excluding yourself," Kimizuki said.

"I'll attract too much attention as well," Shinoa said. "And I'm afraid Narumi-san could risk getting into the same kind of trouble because we are the only ones who spoke of our treachery."

"And Kimizuki-kun might still get too emotionally involved if he finds his sister in there. That could blow the cover," Yoichi said.

Everyone fell silent, looking at Yoichi, who turned to look at Shinoa, who was closest.

"Yoichi-san, you do realize we only have one option left, right?" Shinoa asked.

Yoichi thought it through before nodding his head. "So… I'm going with Mitsuba-san," he said, calmly.

"So, I go and declare that I'm going back and operate in the open while collecting information while Yoichi stays hidden and reports back whatever I find out," Mitsuba summarized.

"That about sums it up," Shinoa replied.

"When do we move then?" Mitsuba asked.

"Can you leave so you reach them by sunrise?" Shinoa asked.

"It shouldn't be a problem."

"And make up a believable lie on the way, in case they ask what happened after we ran away," Shinoa instructed.

Mitsuba and Yoichi nodded as they received these instructions. Then they sat down to plan out what kind of information Mitsuba needed to focus on and what cover-up story she would tell, until it was time for Mitsuba and Yoichi to leave.

* * *

Getting close to the Demon Army turned out to be a much easier task than Yoichi and Mitsuba had thought. Now they were hiding between two buildings, looking out at the Demon Army's HQ. They could see the entrance to that building and the few people coming and going.

"I have to go in there…" Mitsuba said, sounding a bit nervous.

"It'll be fine," Yoichi said, trying to comfort her. He was nervous too though.

Mitsuba took in a deep breath while thinking on what to do. It didn't take long for her to decide on the most obvious choice of action.

"I go in and see if they'll let me return. You stay here and wait. I'll come once I've succeeded. If I'm not back by this time tomorrow, you go back to Shinoa and tell her that we've failed," Mitsuba instructed.

Yoichi nodded his head, showing that he had understood. "Hopefully we don't fail," he said.

Mitsuba nodded her head in agreement. "Don't let anyone see you," she instructed before she turned around and went into the Demon Army's HQ.

As Mitsuba entered she ran directly into someone who had been on the battlefield on that day in Nagoya. He recognized her and grabbed a hold of her arm before she could manage to escape.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," Mitsuba said, deciding to put on the role of someone who had been lost, had gained some hope and now felt like it was leaving her again. "I was… I need to… I need to speak to Hiiragi Kureto-sama," she said.

"What for?" the soldier asked.

"Can't you please just take me to him?" Mitsuba begged.

"What's going on here?" a female voice asked. Both Mitsuba and the soldier turned their heads and Mitsuba's eyes widened slightly as she saw her older sister standing there.

"This one wants to speak to Kureto-sama," the soldier said.

"I'll take care of her," Aoi said as she walked up to Mitsuba and grabbed her by the other arm. The soldier let go and Aoi dragged Mitsuba upstairs to the hallway where both hers and Kureto's offices were located. Her own office was a small one with a door leading to the hallway and another leading to Kureto's office. It was Aoi's office they went into.

"Do you realize what you have done?" Aoi asked, her tone cold.

"I'm sorry," Mitsuba looked down at her feet. "I realize I betrayed everyone including my family. I have made you all look bad because of my treachery."

"If you understand, then what are you doing here?" Aoi asked.

"I… I didn't want to do this, I was forced to betray you… Shinoa forced me to betray you all. I couldn't stand her way of controlling me. I felt like I was a captive, so I ran as soon as I got the chance. I ran here because I didn't know where else to go," Mitsuba said.

"Aren't you friends with Hyaukya Yuuichiro?" Aoi asked, her tone cold.

"I…" Mitsuba thought, then decided on the right words to use. "We used to be, and I still care for him of course, but I agree that it was right for you to take him into custody."

Aoi sighed. "I will have to speak to Kureto-sama about this," she said, turning around. "You stay here, got it?" she asked over her shoulder before knocking on the door to Kureto's office and then entering. She closed the door firmly behind her.

Mitsuba stood still, not daring to move a muscle. She wasn't entirely sure that she had convinced Aoi that she regretted betraying them, but at least her story was believable enough that they were considering it possible.

She had no watch to check for how long she was waiting but it felt like she had been waiting for ten to fifteen minutes when the door in front of her was opened and Aoi gestured for her to enter. Mitsuba did so, walking into the much larger office while feeling Kureto's eyes on her as if he was trying to see through her.

"Sanguu Mitsuba," Kureto said in a tone clean from any emotion.

"Yes," Mitsuba replied, voice loud and clear.

"You want to return to us, claiming that Hiiragi Shinoa forced you to betray us. Is that correct?" he asked.

"Yes," Mitsuba replied.

"You understand that we have all reason not to trust you, don't you?" Kureto asked.

"I understand," Mitsuba replied.

"If we accept your return to the Demon Army, you must stay close. You are not permitted to leave this building. Actually, I would like to keep you close to me as I can see for myself how trustworthy you can prove to be," Kureto said.

A slightly surprised expression could be seen on Aoi's face, but it was soon covered by the mask of emotionlessness that she normally wore.

"Yes," Mitsuba just said, accepting the terms. It suited her fine anyway. She could still give information to Yoichi and she could use this to find out where Yuu was located. Her only problem would be to inform Yoichi that she had succeeded and get him inside somehow. If she wanted to accomplish that, she would need to break Kureto's rules.

And with this decided, Mitsuba ended up spending the rest of the day tailing Kureto and Aoi around the building without gaining any sort of information that she could use for anything. She didn't see anyone from the Moon Demon Company and no sign of human experimentation either. Of course, she didn't get a chance to sneak away either, but that was what she'd expected. She would have to do that in the night.

As nighttime came and Mitsuba had to go to sleep, she was shown to a room on one of the lower floors. It wasn't big, but it wasn't smaller than what she had been used to either. She was left in there to sleep. She laid in bed with all her clothes on and kept herself awake until midnight. Then it was time to put her plan to work.

She got out of bed and put on her shoes. There were still six hours until the time when she had left Yoichi. She had this much time before he would leave. It was plenty.

She opened the door and left the room without making a single sound. She watched closely around her to make sure no one was following her or saw her. She hurried down the hallway and to a staircase leading to one of the backdoors into the building. She left the building through that and went to where she had left Yoichi that same morning.

Yoichi was sitting with his back against the wall, his bow was leaned against the wall across from him and he was talking in a low voice.

"Yoichi," Mitsuba said as she approached, and the other looked up at her in surprise.

"Mitsuba-san, I was just talking to Gekkouin, did everything go well?" Yoichi asked.

"Yes," Mitsuba said. "Come with me."

Yoichi stood up, picked up Gekkouin and followed Mitsuba to the building.

Mitsuba had spent the day thinking of a good place where Yoichi could hide, somewhere no one else would come too often and some place she could still go without seeming suspicious. The best she had found was a room with cleaning goods on the floor where her own room was also located. This was where she led Yoichi.

"Will this do?" she asked.

Yoichi shrugged. "I can't see because of the darkness, but it should be okay. There are plenty of places I can hide and it's not that far from the staircase," he said.

Mitsuba nodded her head. She had thought the same thing. She wouldn't seem too suspicious if she just went in here once a day or something.

The two wished each other good night before Yoichi went into the room and closed the door behind himself. Mitsuba then turned around and hurried back to her own room to get some sleep before someone would come to wake her up later on.

* * *

Shinoa, Mika, Kimizuki and Narumi were waiting in the same house as they had chosen to hide in upon their arrival in Tokyo. They had now been waiting for about two weeks without hearing a thing. That was to be expected of course. It would take some time for Mitsuba to get her hands on some important information that they could use for anything. Then Yoichi would have to get out and find them.

If Mika had to be honest, he was losing patience with the two spies. The only thing that kept him from not going in and attacking was the fact that he knew that if he did so by himself without any kind of plan, he would get caught and thereby be unable to save Yuu.

"It shouldn't be too much longer," Shinoa walked to the window which Mika was standing by. She stood beside him and leaned against the frame. "We'll hear something soon."

"When is that?" Mika asked, not allowing any trace of emotion to show in his voice as he spoke to her.

"If I knew, I'd tell you," Shinoa replied.

"Then why say it?" Mika asked, only looking at Shinoa through the corner of his eye.

"You look impatient, like you can't stand waiting around here any longer." Shinoa said.

Mika was irritated. Were his emotions that easy to read or was she just really good at guessing? What was with this girl anyway? She had constantly been getting on his nerve since their first day here. The worst part was that it probably wasn't intentional but he still didn't like her much.

"You know," Shinoa said. "I actually feel the same way. I want the information too, however it is not just because I want to move forward. I'm also worried about Mi-chan and Yoichi-san," she said.

"I'm worried about Yuu-chan," Mika wondered why he was saying this the second after the words had escaped his mouth.

"That's where we differ, Mika-san. You only see yourself and Yuu-san. You don't see the rest of us. You may see us as Yuu-san's family but not as yours. I see you as Yuu-san's family, but since Yuu-san is also my family then the same applies to you, and so I care," Shinoa said.

Mika didn't know how to respond to that, and so he didn't do anything. He just thought about Shinoa's words. She was right. He still didn't view her or any of the others as his own family, even if he knew they were Yuu's family and Yuu was his. He only cared about if they were alive or dead because he knew that Yuu would be sad if they died.

Mika and Shinoa didn't exchange another word for the next few hours, but neither of them moved from where they were standing by the window either until someone knocked on the door.

Kimizuki was the one who went to open the door and he returned quickly with Yoichi behind him. Narumi looked up at them and Shinoa looked at them too. Mika was the only one who only looked at them through the corner of his eye.

"I've got important information," Yoichi said.

"What has Mi-chan found?" Shinoa asked.

"We know somewhat where Yuu-kun is," Yoichi said. "We will have to go soon though. According to Mitsuba-san, they're suspecting her. We have had to stop communicating because her sister was asked to keep an eye on her at all times now."

"Were you ever noticed?" Shinoa asked.

"I don't think I was. It didn't look like I was being watched or followed on my way here," Yoichi answered.

Mika turned to look out the window and check. If this place was discovered they would be in trouble, so he had to make sure no one had found them yet.

"Do you have enough information that you think we can go?" Shinoa asked.

Yoichi thought. "Not enough that we can make a foolproof plan, but enough information that we can take action without too many risks. That's as far as we get. If Mitsuba needs to collect more, she might put herself in danger."

Shinoa nodded her head. "Good call," she said. "Then we should get going to save Yuu-san," she said before stepping away from the window and heading towards the door. Everyone else followed her out the house.

* * *

It was bright. It was so bright and it was hitting him directly in the face. He didn't know what it was. Could it be light? Yeah, now that he thought about it, it had to be light. It couldn't possibly be something else. A silhouette came into his vision, bending over him and blocking out the light. It belonged to a man. He recognized the form. He had seen it before a couple of times.

"The experimental subject Hyakuya Yuuichiro has awoken," the silhouette said.

He remembered now. That was his actual name, Hyakuya Yuuichiro or just Yuu by friends. He had trouble recalling his name lately. He even had trouble recalling how many times he had had to recall his own name. What was even happening to him? All he could recall was pain.

"Aoi!" the voice called.

"Yes!" A female replied.

"Take notes to every reaction as usual" the voice said. "We will commence shortly." There was a small pause. "Mitsuba, prepare him."

Who was Mitsuba? He wondered about this. The name sounded familiar. So did the name Aoi, but that was because he had heard it every time he woke up like this. Mitsuba seemed to be a name that belonged somewhere else, in another time, another life.

He saw another silhouette, one with pigtails, bend over him while he felt something being wrapped around either of his wrists. Whoever this person was, their hands were shaking a lot as they did what they had to do. He could feel it.

"We're ready," the male voice said as the shaky hands moved away and the silhouette with pigtails disappeared from his view.

"Commence the experiment," the female voice said.

He waited. He remembered this pattern. He should know what was coming, but right now, he couldn't even recall what that was. Would more yelling be done? What was supposed to happen?

But then it came. It was a feeling that first only appeared in his hands and feet but then spread to the rest of his body. As it did so, he wondered how he could have forgotten what would come. It was always the same and it was always evenly uncomfortable no matter how many times it happened.

As the pain increased, he felt as a scream was tearing its way out of him. He couldn't keep it in. He opened his mouth and let the sound escape that symbolized the intense pain he felt.

* * *

Yoichi was running ahead as they made their way to where the human experimentation was done. Shinoa was running closely behind him and the rest were following while doing their best to watch out for enemies. Yoichi hadn't been there before. He had only been given instructions on how to find the place by Mitsuba.

"It shouldn't be much further," Yoichi said.

"It seems so," Shinoa agreed while looking around at their surroundings.

Everyone else was running in silence, following the two shorter ones in the lead. They stopped by a door and Yoichi opened it slightly to take a look inside.

"It should be this way," he said.

"Are we sure of this?" Narumi asked skeptically.

"That's what I was told," Yoichi answered.

"Is it safe to go in through here?" Kimizuki asked.

"It seems safe. I can't see anyone," Yoichi replied, looking at them briefly before turning back to look through the door.

"I'll take a look," Mika stepped forward and pushed Yoichi aside to take a look through the door. He also listened carefully for any sound and then he froze. He thought he heard something.

"Is something the matter, Mika-san?" Shinoa asked, noticing how Mika suddenly stiffened.

"Are you okay, Mika-kun?" Yoichi asked.

Mika didn't answer either of them. He was listening closely to the sound. "Yuu-chan," he whispered.

"You hear Yuu-san?" Shinoa asked.

"Stop listening," Kimizuki said. "Remember to focus!"

"Who are you to tell me that," Mika snapped. "Yuu-chan is suffering. I can't just stand by and let it happen!" his voice raised to the level of a yell.

"All the more reason we need to be careful!" Kimizuki said. "Do you want us to get caught? I can tell you, if that happens, he will be completely out of our reach."

Mika looked like he was about to attack Kimizuki, but after a moment he started relaxing and finally nodded his head, realizing that the other was right. One mistake here could lead to a complete failure.

"Let's go," Shinoa said. "Mika-san, can you give us the right direction?" she asked.

"Is that wise?" Kimizuki asked.

"Probably not," Narumi muttered.

"I can do it," Mika said, making his way ahead of the group. The others followed him while still being cautious of their surroundings.

There was no one in the hallways so even if they were prepared to hide at any moment in case someone came, they didn't need to. Therefore the others, who were only humans, could also soon hear the sound of a person screaming in pain.

"That's Yuu-san?" Shinoa asked, sounding saddened.

"Yes," Mika answered while tensing up.

"What are they doing to him?" Yoichi wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Mika said frustrated.

The screams now increased, sending a shiver through all the five teens walking down the hallway. This was what caused Mika to suddenly speed up to a running pace without another word.

"Mika-san!" Shinoa exclaimed as she ran after him. Yoichi, Kimizuki and Narumi also picked up the speed and ran around the nearest corner down a hallway with only one door at the end. Mika tore the doors open and ran through. The others followed into a brightly lit room.

In the room, several people were located. The first ones Shinoa, Yoichi and Kimizuki laid their eyes on were Kureto, Mitsuba and her sister. The first one Narumi laid his eyes on was Guren who was leaned against the wall furthest away from them. The first one Mika saw was the person in the middle who was lying down with something wrapped around his wrists and ankles.

"Yuu-chan!" he exclaimed, causing everyone in the room to look at them.

"We can't waste any time," Shinoa said.

"Your timing is perfect," Kureto said. "We just finished our round of experimentation for today," he smiled as he looked at them.

"You know that having anything to do with the Seraph of the End is forbidden," Mika said.

"I know that," Kureto replied. "That's not why you're here though."

"How can you know something like that?" Mika asked.

"Otherwise you wouldn't be working with them," Kureto said.

Mika frowned. It irritated him that Kureto would manage to guess correctly. He tightened the grip around his sword but before he could do anything, Shinoa walked up in front of him, blocking his path.

"We are only here to get Yuu-san back. That's all." Shinoa said.

"That's not happening though," Kureto said.

"What are you doing? You weren't asked to do that!" Aoi's voice cut through the conversation. It was then everyone looked to about the center of the room. Aoi was facing the area where the experiments had been performed and now, Mitsuba was standing in there, in the process of freeing Yuu.

"I was never following his orders," Mitsuba said as she finished freeing Yuu and attempted to drag him away from there.

"Mika, help Mi-chan," Shinoa said, knowing that the best course of action right now would be to make sure they could get Yuu out safely while also occupying Mika. That meant he would have to take care of Yuu.

Mika hurried past Kureto and Aoi and to where Mitsuba was trying to help Yuu escape. Yuu was unconscious at the moment and couldn't respond to anything. He couldn't even give any support of his own. Mika picked Yuu up in his arms and held him close. As he felt Yuu's head resting against his shoulder, he suddenly felt like he was whole, like one part of him had been missing but was now reattached to him.

"Yuu-chan," he whispered down into Yuu's black hair.

"Let's go," Mitsuba said.

"Prevent them from escaping, but don't kill them, especially not the vampire or the seraph," Kureto demanded.

Before anyone knew it, the room had turned into a battlefield. Shinoa and the others did everything in their power to protect each other and get out safely while everyone else did everything to hold them back.

"RUN!" Shinoa yelled.

"But Mika-kun and Mitsuba-san?" Yoichi asked.

"You, Narumi-san and Kimizuki-san just run!" Shinoa yelled.

"I refuse!" Narumi said.

"So do I," Kimizuki said. "We have to make sure we accomplish!"

Shinoa couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. She wanted to see everyone get out safe, that was why she attempted to send Yoichi, Kimizuki and Narumi away, but it made her happy to know that they wanted the same as her.

"Alright!" Shinoa said. "Defensive battle formation!" she demanded.

Everyone got their cursed gear and took the requested battle formation, only attacking when they felt like they were being threatened. Yoichi tried to use Gekkouin to help Mitsuba and Mika clear a path. Thanks to all of them working together, they managed to gather the group and Shinoa called for them to retreat. So that was exactly what they did.

* * *

Yuu woke up to the deep sound of something buzzing. He couldn't figure out where this sound was coming from. He could sense that he was lying on something soft. His head was lying on something that was both soft and warm. He hadn't felt this in a while. He was at ease. What was going on? Suddenly he realized what the sound was supposed to be. It was the sound of the motor in a car. He was in a car? What was he doing there?

It was around then when he discovered that his eyes were still closed. If he wanted to figure out more about his situation, he should probably open them. He knew as much. He tried opening his eyes, but his eyelashes seemed to stick to his cheeks. It was difficult. It caused him to use a lot of strength, but finally he managed to open one eye and look up.

Above him was the face of a girl. She had long hair in a color that looked like ashen and lavender mixed together. Her eyes were large with a copper color and she was currently staring out the window with a distant and slightly worried expression on her face.

"Shi… Shinoa?" Yuu asked.

"Yuu-san?" Shinoa suddenly turned her head and looked down at him, she still looked worried.

"Yuu-chan!" Before Yuu knew it, a boy with blonde hair and red eyes that used to be blue looked down at him. He recognized this boy too and smiled.

"Hey Mika," he said.

No one managed to say anything else before tears started appearing at the corners of Mika's eyes and they slowly rolled down his cheeks. A relieved expression was on his face as he allowed his head to fall down on Yuu's chest and rest there. Yuu could feel the other's tears soak through the shirt he was wearing and he slowly moved a hand to place on top of Mika's head.

"I'm okay, Mika," he said.

"If you went through as many experiments as Mi-chan says, then it's a miracle that you're okay," Shinoa said.

"Ex… what?" Yuu asked, slightly unable to comprehend what Shinoa was talking about.

"You were brought in for human experimentation after the battle in Nagoya and we all went to save you. You had to stay with them for two weeks though," Kimizuki explained.

Yuu tried to recall being experimented on, but all he could remember was light silhouettes and the fact that he had had trouble remembering anything at all. And then he recalled one more thing…

He flinched.

"Yuu-chan?" Mika asked worriedly, lifting his head from Yuu's chest. There were still stains of tears on his cheeks, but they had stopped flowing from his eyes.

"I'm okay, Mika," Yuu said once more. "I just… remembered how it felt… it hurt a lot."

"We know," Yoichi said. "You were screaming."

"You were really loud actually," Narumi said. He was the one driving the car at the moment so he wasn't very concentrated on the conversation. He was clever enough to keep his focus on the road.

"Where are we going now?" Yuu asked.

"We don't know," Shinoa said. "Somewhere safe to figure out what our next move shall be. We all need to rest up and recover from this mission. We will find a place where no one else can find us."

"That sounds like a good idea," Yuu said, feeling tired. "I'm going back to sleep. Wake me once we get there." He said.

"Haven't you slept enough?" Kimizuki asked.

"For how long have I slept?" Yuu asked.

"Since the final experiment finished, around 20 hours," Mitsuba said.

"That's a while," Yuu muttered. "But I'm still tired."

"Then sleep, Yuu-san," Shinoa said.

"I will," Yuu closed his eyes, not thinking to move away from Shinoa's lap as he prepared to go back to sleep.

"Sleep well, Yuu-chan," Was the last thing he heard Mika say before he fell asleep.

* * *

 **This story was a request made by Shiranai Atsune. **

**It wasn't easy picking out one idea among the good ones, and since I'm so busy it was hard to find the time to write and publish the story right away. I think it's been almost half a year since the first message. I'm very sorry it had to take this long, but at least I made it happen. I do take requests seriously.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you for reading**

 **Jackie**


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